Welcome to the BJJ Beat! On this recurring feature, we’ll tackle the biggest news from the professional grappling scene, and roll everything up in an easily digestible and familiar jiu-jitsu format.

Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images

Warm Ups

Physical 100 star Jang Eun Sil competes in BJJ tournaments

Jang Eun Sil, became a popular celebrity after her standout performance on the hit Netflix show “Physical 100” in 2023. In between doing other TV shows in her home country though, the South Korean national wrestling champion is still competing in various grappling events.

Eun Sil has won wrestling tournaments through her 30s, and she has also taken up Brazilian jiu-jitsu since her time in the Netflix reality show. Although she could conceivably do better in no gi, the wrestling star has instead competed twice in the gi now.

Last May, the 34-year-old Jang won double gold in her first ever BJJ competition, and earned a couple of stripes on her white belt.

Just a month later, Jang Eun Sil quickly returned to competition in Tokyo as a blue belt. She joined the biggest IBJJF event in Asia, and unfortunately lost in just her second ever BJJ competition.

“I’m not ready yet, but it was a meaningful experience,” Eun Sil wrote in Korean, noting that she only has three months of proper training in the gi.

Jang Eun Sil has also dabbled in some playful MMA training. Watch her workout with UFC vet and fellow Physical 100 star Dong Hyun Kim and his teammates (that got ragdolled).

Drills

CJI 2: ADCC champ Ana Vieira joins $100,000 tournament, Pat Downey added to Team Americas

Two more grapplers have been added to CJI 2.

Billed as the “highest paying women’s division in BJJ history,” three of the four female BJJ stars competing for $100,000 has already been revealed.

That bracket got even more stacked with another decorated BJJ champion now joining ADCC double gold medalist Adele Fornarino and teenage WNO champion Helena Crevar. The third grappler revealed for the tournament is six-time IBJJF world champion and the reigning 2024 ADCC champion Ana Carolina Viera.

Also added to CJI 2 is wrestling champion Pat Downey, who is joining the $1 million team tournament as the 99kg representative for Team Americas. With the Tackett Brothers choosing UFC BJJ (and Andrew becoming champion!), and big names seemingly not joining, Team Americas’ line up does seem a bit underwhelming relative to the wealth of BJJ superstars from the US and Brazil.

Move of the Day

Helena Crevar, Team North America win crazy Polaris Squads event

CJI 2 switched to team grappling for next month, because the format regularly produces insane action and chaos. Polaris 32 hosted a women’s “Squads” event, and it predictably lived up to its billing.

Even as UFC exclusively signed grappler Ffion Davies bowed out of the event, the event still brought fireworks. Team North America was able to squeak by Team Europe 11-10, with American captain Helena Crevar winning three straight bouts to increase their tally and win the close match.

Although her team ended up losing, Margot Ciccarelli had a standout performance as she won six bouts, including five straight matches, where she nearly eliminated the entire North American team by herself.

Outside of the team competition, B-Team’s Owen Jones also won at Polaris 32, beating Carson Coles by decision.

Their next event will be Polaris 33, which happens on September 13, 2025. It will have another Squads event with Team South America taking on Team Asia and Oceania.

Rolls

WNO 29 fight card: Adele Fornarino, Roberto Jimenez, Owen Jones and more!

WNO’s next event is shaping up really well. Happening July 25, 2025, WNO 29 will have ADCC double gold medalist Adele Fornarino taking on 2nd generation grappler Jasmine Rocha.

WNO 29 also features a promising match up between the always entertaining Roberto Jimenez and PGF champion Ryan Aitken. Jasmine’s father Vagner Rocha will also be on the card, facing the resurging Kit Dale in a battle between longtime vets.

The most recently announced bout involves the aforementioned Owen Jones, who will have a quick turnaround from his Polaris 32 win to face UFC BJJ: Road to the Title cast member Gianni Grippo.

• Adele Fornarino vs Jasmine Rocha
• Roberto Jimenez vs Ryan Aitken
• Kit Dale vs Vagner Rocha
• Owen Jones vs Gianni Grippo
• Michael Sainz vs Natan Chueng

Screengrab, instagram @malavazi.fotografia

Cooldown

Video: 70 year old competes against 19-year-old BJJ black belt

BJJ doesn’t have many red and white “coral belts,” who are basically at least an eighth degree BJJ black belt, so naturally it’s very rare to see one compete. Rogerio Hampshire not only did that and returned to the mats at 70 years of age, he also competed against a 19-year-old BJJ black belt.

Rogerio wasn’t able to beat the teenager less than a third of his age, but it was a sight to see a coral belt actually make that walk.

Buchecha is heading to the UFC. Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Review

To close things out, here are other interesting BJJ stories you might have missed:

• Buchecha! - UFC has just picked up a 15-time IBJJF world champ and two-time ADCC gold medalist.
• Three more UFC BJJ cards for 2025! - Andrew Tackett’s first title defense is set to headline UFC BJJ 2, and there will be two other cards to end the year.
• Exclusive: AOJ prodigy Cole Abate is set to rematch a BJJ world champ next

For the latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and grappling-related news click here.